Larry’s NBA Power Ratings
Is it time for the NBA to take a long look at itself? The best team in the league – San Antonio – entered this week with 36 victories.
The worst three teams in the league – Cleveland, Washington and Charlotte – have COMBINED for 35 victories.
If you’re down with a Downton Abbey type of league where the rich get richer, the poor stay poor, and stars get the calls and are judged by the size of their entourages, no problem.
But if you’d like to say in November that two-thirds of the league has a chance to get to The Finals, then something – maybe eliminate the luxury tax, institute a hard salary cap and tell the refs that LeBron James should be treated the same way as Omri Casspi when whistles start blowing – has to be done.
To the rankings:
1. SPURS (36-11) – For now, anyway. SA has 8 wins in a row and layups at home vs. Charotte and Washington before embarking on its toughest stretch of the season – 9 in a row in the road.
2. THUNDER (34-11) – Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined to shoot 16 for 48 in that loss to the Lakers. OKC was surprisingly ineffective in the final minutes. Probably just a blip on the radar.
3. CLIPPERS (33-13) – Clips head east for 8 games while they wait (and worry) for Chris Paul’s bruised knee to get better. Three best PGs in the league (Paul, Rose, Rondo) are all on the shelf.
4. HEAT (28-13) – Maybe it’s just the grind that is the NBA in January, but the Heat seem disinterested. They should have mopped the floor with Boston on Sunday but couldn’t get it done in double-OT against the wheezing Celtics.
5. NUGGETS (27-18) – Not having a James, Durant or Bryant will stop the train come playoff time, but they have the look and feel of a regular-season monster – lots of depth, and they play hard.
6. GRIZZLIES (28-15) – Point guard curse continues. Mike Conley suffered a sprained ankle Sunday against the Hornets/Pelicans, and the Grizz suffered a tough home loss to a bad team.
7. KNICKS (27-15) – Knicks are only .500 in 2013, but with Ray Felton back the team looked solid in beating the Hawks. Knicks have a favorable schedule in February and should be able to open things up in the division.
8. BULLS (26-17) – Second-year player Jimmy Butler, out of Marquette, is starting to make a name for himself. He scored in double figures five straight games before the whole team hit a wall Sunday night in D.C.
9. WARRIORS (26-17) – There are only so many spots and it’s all subjective. We get that. But Stephen Curry not on the Western Conference All-Stars? Something is fishy, and it’s not the wharf in San Francisco.
10. PACERS (26-18) – Larry Bird’s old teammate Robert Parish is begging for a job and says Bird won’t take his calls. Bird says that B.S. and that Parish has never called him.
11. NETS (26-18) – Nets have an interesting call to make on P.J. Carlesimo after the season if they get to the second round of the playoffs.
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12. JAZZ (24-20) – How about some love for Al Jefferson, who goes about his business every night and bangs without complaint with bigger guys in the paint. Big Al had 25 in that OT win over Indiana.
13. HAWKS (25-19) – Josh Smith is a free agent after this season and wants a max contract. Opinion is split between those who love his game and want to give him the money, and those who hate his game and want to slap him upside the head.
14. BUCKS (23-19) – Just when the Bucks push the rock near the top of the mountain, it comes crashing down when they blow a 20-point lead and lose to the godawful Cavaliers. Ouch.
15. ROCKETS (24-22) – Rookie Royce White and the team have reached an agreement, and the rookie with anxiety disorder (he’s afraid to fly) says he will report to the team’s D-League affiliate.
16. TRAIL BLAZERS (22-22)
17. CELTICS (21-23)
18. LAKERS (19-25)
19. MAVERICKS (19-25)
20. 76ERS (18-25)
21. PISTONS (17-24)
22. TIMBERWOLVES (17-24)
23. HORNETS/PELICANS (15-29)
24. RAPTORS (16-28)
25. KINGS (16-29)
26. SUNS (15-30)
27. MAGIC (14-29)
28. WIZARDS (11-31)
29. CAVALIERS (13-32)
30. BOBCATS (11-32)
